Khmer–Vietnamese Bilingual Education for Ethnic Minority Primary Students in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta: Exploring Influential Factors

Background/purpose Bilingual education plays a vital role in expanding learning opportunities, preserving indigenous languages and cultures, and supporting minority students in attaining academic success in the national language. It also fosters social equity and inclusion, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of minority communities in multicultural contexts. Against this backdrop, the present study investigates the factors influencing Khmer–Vietnamese bilingual education (KhVBE) for Khmer ethnic minority primary students in the Mekong Delta. Materials/methods Survey data were collected from 269 educational administrators and teachers who were directly responsible for program management and instructional delivery. Results The findings reveal that internal learner factors (ILF), information channels (IC), situational factors (SF), and engagement in professional development activities (EPDA) exert statistically significant positive effects on KhVBE. In contrast, contextual factors for the application of bilingual education (CABE) did not show a significant influence. Conclusion The study contributes both theoretically and practically to the field of bilingual education in Vietnam. It provides policy recommendations for administrators and stakeholders aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of Khmer–Vietnamese bilingual education programs.